


The Lines Between

by Badass_Space_Fish



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Breakups, Connor & Markus (Detroit: Become Human) Friendship, Connor Deserves Happiness, Cyborgs, Detectives, Detroit, Detroit: Become Human Spoilers, Guitars, Half-Human, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Sex, LGBT, LGBTQ, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Pacifist Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Police, Pre-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Pregnancy, References to Depression, Rock Band, Romance, Roommates, Singing, Unplanned Pregnancy, detroit police - Freeform, police officer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-06-21 09:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15554478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badass_Space_Fish/pseuds/Badass_Space_Fish
Summary: Ever since the first androids were created, there was a clear line separating man and machine.Anything that fell between that line was impossible, or at least that's what everyone thought.Not even Ray Driscol herself thought she was possible, but yet she existed.She was a mix of both from the start.Living as a hybrid was already hard enough, but when tensions between humans and androids grew, life only grew harder and harder,  leaving Ray fighting to hold it all together.But hey, having a robot detective by your side never hurts, does it?[This fanfic takes place around the beginning-middle of the game and beyond that. Also, I don't own DBH so please don't sue me]





	1. Prologue

"Wait, wait, Rhett, back up a bit. What the hell do you mean that you made an android that could get pregnant?" The best friend of the man holding the phone asked. 

"Okay, alright, let's go back two or three years," Rhett says with a sigh, leaning back against the toilet.

When androids first came out, the man praised for their creation was Elijah Kamsky. That spotlight would've been shared with Rhett Driscoll if Elijah hadn't taken advantage of how stereotypically 'nerdy' and shy his business partner was.

Luckily for him, not being widely known didn't stop him from becoming extremely rich. But regardless of how much money he made, he couldn't buy what he wanted most.

What he wanted most in life was a woman who would love him unconditionally for who he was, and not anything. But every woman he tried dating either wanted him for his money or didn't seem to be the woman of his dreams in some other way. 

Sure, he couldn't buy or find the ideal woman, but he could make her.

Rhett pushed the idea away for so long, but eventually, he felt he had no other option. So that's what he did. He put his mind to work to build the woman he wanted most in life. 

Not only did he want to make his dream wife, but he wanted to make her better than any other android his former best friend could ever put on the market. 

Among other more human things, such as eat and digest food, he included the ability for her to become pregnant. Of course, he didn't want that to happen, he only wanted her to be better than the rest. 

However, the one thing that Rhett didn't want to happen, did happen. 

He tried everything he could do to end the pregnancy, but nothing would work.

Eventually, events brought him here, one of the few places in his home where he could have a private conversation on the phone. 

"So what do you want me to do?" Rhett's friend asked. 

"I don't know, but we can't let anyone else know about this. I can't imagine the shitstorm that would start over this whole thing." Rhett said, pressing the palm of his head against his forehead. "Just be there for me if I need you, alright?" 

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Mr. Driscoll? It's urgent." 

"Shit Mark, I've gotta go," Rhett said before hanging up the phone and getting out of the bathroom. 

"What's wrong?" He asked as he was led to one of the guest bedrooms, where his pregnant android wife lay, unconscious with open eyes.

"I don't know what happened, but she's not responsive. Perhaps her body detected the trauma and did this to protect itself?" The doctor said as Rhett. "You know I don't know much about these things." 

"Yea, maybe. Androids don't usually get pregnant" Rhett said, sitting next to the woman in the bed. "How much did you say needed to pay you to keep quiet about all of this?" 

"A hundred thousand." The doctor answered as she checked the android's vitals. 

Rhett nods, looking to the other android standing by the door. "Frank, go write a check for one hundred thousand and bring it to me so I can sign it."

"Of course sir, right away." The android responded, before leaving the room. 

Rhett looked back to the doctor, who was looking under the blanket. "So is it coming out?"

"Yes, it's crowning. I think I can reach in and pull it out." The doctor said, the room suddenly falling completely silent until the cries of a newborn filled the room.

"It's a girl." The doctor says, holding the infant in her arms. 

"I don't care, you know what you have to do with it," Rhett said, leaning back in his chair. "I know it sounds cruel, but that thing really isn't human and shouldn't even exist. So it's your job now to get rid of what doesn't belong."

The doctor nods slowly as she cleaned the baby off with a towel. 

"Just throw it in the river and be done with it," Rhett said, taking the check from his android and signing it. "You can go on with your life and pretend none of this ever happened."

After the doctor received her check, she left the mansion with the infant. 

It wasn't long until she was standing at the edge of the Detroit river, watching the water, trying to work up the will to throw the infant into the frigid water. 

"Fuck, I can't do this." She murmured, before returning to her car. 

Once situated, she wrapped it in a blanket and turned the heat on high. 

Next, she took a key and attempted to rip out the LED, but doing nothing other than causing the infant to start screaming.

"I guess that's stuck there..." The woman sighed to herself as she tried to get the infant to calm down.

Once she had done that, she drove off to the nearest subway station and left the infant on the first subway that came in, with 'Driscoll' written on her wrist in marker. 

Meanwhile, back in Rhett Driscoll's home, he sat waiting for his lover to wake up. 

A few hours passed before she finally did.

"Rhett?" She spoke up, looking at him. "What happened?" 

Rhett woke up quickly, looking down at her. "You passed out in labor. You're okay, so don't worry."

"And the baby?" She asked. "What about the baby?" 

Rhett let out a quiet sigh, frowning as he took her hand. "I'm sorry honey, but the baby didn't make it."

She lets out a nod, her eyes drifting to the floor. "I love you."

"I love you more." 

-14 Years Later-

"When the doctor said I only a few months left, I honestly thought that I'd end up being one of those stories you here where I lived a full life anyway," Rhett said with a cough. 

"I know. I did too." His beloved android, Stephanie said as she rubbed a thumb over his knuckles. "I didn't think it would end like this. Is there anything you want to tell me before you..." 

"I just wanted to tell you to be strong, be who I made you to be." He said, putting his other hand on top of hers. 

"Any confessions?" She asked, looking down at his hand.

"No." He said, before hesitating. "Actually there is one. Remember when you were pregnant all those years ago?" 

"Of course I do. The baby died of complications." She says, thinking back to that winter night. 

"I lied to you, Steph. I had the doctor take her and throw her into the river." He says, looking away. "I didn't want to do that, but it would have been wrong to let her live. Not in this world." 

Steph quickly stood and backed away. "You... You monster..." 

"Steph, wait, just let me explain everything to you," Rhett begged, but it was no use. 

She ran down the hall and into the nearest bathroom, sitting on the toilet as something completely new washed over her.

Was this... Sadness? 

It must be.

She leaned over feeling her face grow wet as she sobbed for the first time.

She stayed in there for a while, until she heard multiple pairs of feet running by the door in the hallway. 

When she poked her head through the door, she saw they were all heading to Rhett's room.

She approached the room, leaning against the wall near the doorway. 

"Time of death, 10:49 pm. Cause of death, lung cancer." 

Stephanie froze for a moment, until her legs decided to move, taking her back to the place she called home. She packed a few things, changing into new clothes and ripping out her LED with a kitchen knife.

After that, she left, vanishing into the streets of Detroit. 

Rumor has it, she's out there, searching for evidence of her daughter, trying to find if she's out there somewhere, alive and well.


	2. A Little Ray of Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank takes Connor to a show at a bar and he meets Ray, the half android, half human. The experience is confusing for him, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed up events a bit so it could work. Instead of receiving the report of Rupert at Chicken Feed, Connor and Hank go to see the show. Rupert's part will come in the next chapter.

"Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death?" Connor asked the man at the desk across from him. "I really like that music. It's... full of energy..."

Hank looks up to him, eyes still squinting a bit. "You listen to Heavy Metal?"

"Well, I don't really listen to music, as such..." Connor explained. "But I'd like to."

Hank maintained his glare for a brief moment, shaking his head ever-so-slightly before returning to his work.

A silence sat in the air for a brief moment before Hank looked back up to Connor.

"If you want to get into Heavy Metal, I know someone you might like," Hank spoke.

"I'm listening," Connor says, slightly leaning over his desk.

"There's this girl, you might've met her already. Her name is Ray." Hank tells the android across from him. "She has a little band that usually performs in a bar on Saturdays. She took a few days off so she decided to play a few songs tonight. Would you like to tag along?"

Connor considers his options for a few seconds before giving Hank his answer. "Sure, there doesn't seem to be anything prohibiting me from attending with you. I do have one question though."

"And what would that be?" Hank questions, looking at the screen of his desktop.

"What about her makes you think I would like her, or her music?" Connor asks. "I'm not trying to doubt you, I'm just curious."

"Of course you're curious, you're always fuckin' curious about something." Hank murmured under his breath. 

"What did you say, lieutenant?" Connor asks.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. I just thought that she has it would be a good way for you to meet one of the other detectives around here, plus she makes good music. She's even got one of those light things you androids have... What're they called?" Hank asked, tapping his temple.

"An LED?" Connor questioned, sliding his chair a little closer. "She's a deviant?!"

"No, no, of course not!" Hank stressed, looking down at an angle. "Well. I don't think she is... Let's just say it's complicated, okay?"

Connor processes everything for a few moments. "I'll look into that later, as for right now, I would like to look to look at any files you have on deviants if you have any." 

"Terminal's on your desk. Knock yourself out." Hank says, directing the android sent by Cyberlife's focus to the said terminal before going back to his own work.

-4:15 pm-

After stopping at the small food truck with 'Chicken Feed' written in neon above it, Hank pulled into the small parking lot of a bar located in a less industrial area.

"This is the place," Hank says before stepping out of the car.

Connor got out as well, following Hank in, catching a glimpse of a paper that read Home of the Garden of Exiles. Live performances every Saturday. 

"Hey Hank, the usual?" The bartender asked Hank when he sat down at the bar. 

"Yea," Hank gives him a nod, leaning back in his chair.

"I see you've got an android," The bartender said as he grabbed one of the many bottles of booze. "I don't know whether to be surprised or not."

"No, no, he's not mine," Hank said. "We're supposed to work together to crack a case. That's all."

"Oh," The bartender said, setting Hank's drink in front of him. "Well, regardless of who's it is, there's parking outside."

"Because of my function, I cannot use standard Android parking areas," Connor speaks up, drawing the attention of both men.

"Figures," Hank says, looking to the man at the other side of the bar. "He follows me fuckin' everywhere."

"Even the bathroom?" The bartender chuckled as he poured a drink for someone else.

"No, thank Christ," Hank answered, looking to Connor. "How about you go over by the stage, get a good spot before it starts."

"Okay Lieutenant," Connor says before heading up to the small stage in the corner of the space, watching the girl sitting on the barstool tune her guitar.

The moment he laid his eyes on her, he felt something tiny deep down inside of his chest, like a twitch or a spark. He ran a quick system scan, only to find everything working properly. He decided to ignore it for now.

"So Hank actually got himself an android." She says, not looking away from the guitar. "I kinda figured he'd get a designated driver at some point."

"Oh- I'm not his android. I was sent by Cyberlife to help investigate the deviants," Connor explains. "I'm just his partner."

"What, are you here to arrest me or something?" She asked, half-jokingly. "If so, at least wait for the show to end and let me get a few drinks in."

Connor decided to scan her face now before giving her an answer.

Driscoll, Ray

Born: 12/?/16 // Detective

Criminal record: None

"If you don't mind me asking, you're documented as a human, but you have a built-in LED," Connor asked, furrowing his brows. "Are you a human or are you an android?"

"Good question. I honestly don't even know myself. I've got both human and android parts, and my blood is purple." Ray says, looking over to him. "I've honestly been thinking I'm both, lately."

"But that's not-" Connor started to explain how it was impossible for her to be both, but was cut off when she stood up and greeted all the show attendees.

Connor turned and looked, it wasn't packed, but there were enough people around the stage to call a crowd. 

Conner paid attention to the show, listening to each lyric closely and occasionally looking around for Hank, who he was expecting to have joined him up front by the time he finished his drink.

After Ray finished her last song, Conner made his way back to Hank.

"I was expecting you to join me up front, Luitenant," Conner said to him once he turned around.

"The music sounds the same from here, Conner. Plus, I can get as many refills as I want from here without having to push through people," Hank says. "Just because you want to follow me everywhere doesn't mean I'm gonna follow you when you actually give me a fuckin' break."

Connor didn't reply to Hank's comment but instead focused on Ray, scanning her face again and trying to look up as much information on her as he could.

"You think he's got the hots for her?" The bartender asked upon noticing the android was unresponsive, running his fingers through the short hairs of his dark ginger beard. "He's been staring at Ray for a good minute now."

"I don't fuckin' know," Hank said, turning to Connor. "I don't think he's supposed to have the hots for anyone."

"I think she's coming over now." The other replied. "I guess we'll see how it goes?"

Upon noticing the girl was coming, Connor snapped out of his researching. "Hello, Ray."

"Hello, boys." Ray greeted, scanning over Connor briefly before sitting on the barstool next to Hank. "Gimme a beer, Red."

"What kind?" Red asked, looking at the selection. "Do you want some Burning Starlight or a Flying Snake?"

"I don't give a fuck, all of your beer is good here," Ray says, looking to Connor. "And give this robocop a Glowing Cooler. On me."

"I can pay for it," Hank says, leaning back and giving Ray a softer look, getting ready to reach for his wallet.

"Nah Hank, don't bother." Ray waves her hand dismissively. "I've got tip money."

"No need to argue, you can just have it on the house," Red speaks up as he pours Ray her beer.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is a glowing cooler?" Connor asks. "I am an android, so please be advised that I cannot consume alcoholic beverages designed for humans."

"A glowing cooler is cold blue blood with a splash of booze," Red says as he mixes Connor's drink. "I designed it specifically for androids."

"You can drink it, trust me," Ray says as she takes a sip of her fresh beer. "Fuck Red, you make good shit. I ever tell you that?"

"Only every time you drink it." He replies with a smirk, sliding Connor his drink.

The glass slid off of the bar but was quickly caught by Connor, not a drop spilled.

"That's a first," Ray says, looking at Connor. "Usually they just watch it smash all over the floor."

"I had a feeling he would catch it," Red says, leaning back against the counter behind him. "Y'know, since he's a special police android and all."

Ray shrugged. "You never know. These things can be really fucking weird sometimes."

"You better drink the damn drink, Connor," Hank said, grabbing Connor's attention. "Red was nice enough to make it for ya."

Connor nodded, drinking the shot. Upon analyzing it, he found that it was what Ray described it to be. Mostly thirium with a small amount of vodka mixed into it.

"So, what'd you think?" Ray asked, smirking. "Good, right?"

Connor looked at the drop still in the bottom of the glass, before giving a soft nod. "I would say that drinking it is... enjoyable."

"Hang on, Hank, is he supposed to be able to enjoy shit or is that I dunno, off limits or whatever?" Ray asked, looking to Hank.

Hank looked at Connor and shrugged before looking back to Ray. "Don't you think they should be allowed to enjoy some booze, Ray? Besides, I don't think an android saying he liked a drink is that big of a deal."

"Yea, you're right." She says, patting Connor on the back. "So what did you think of the show? Did you find that enjoyable too?"

"I would say so." Connor nodded, handing his empty glass back to Red. "However, I paid close attention to the lyrics of your songs and I found some of them... concerning. Are you okay?"

Ray burst out laughing, leaving Connor confused. "Y'know, if I didn't know you were an android before I would've known you were one now."

"How does concern for your mental health prove to you that I am an android?" Connor asked, his brows furrowed.

"Well, the only people who really show that much concern is androids and the elderly. You don't look old as hell so that only leaves one possibility." Ray explained, patting him on the back.

"You seem to be having fun with him," Hank said. "I bet you'd enjoy babysitting him and give me a break."

"In your dreams, Hank," Ray said, patting Connor on the back. "As cute as he is, I've got better things to do with my free time, sorry."

When Ray called Connor 'cute', he could have sworn whatever he had been feeling since he first saw her doubled in size. He ran another diagnostic, which only came back with the same results stating that he was perfectly fine.

"Don't worry about it, I was just joking," Hank said, getting up. "But I'll be going now. You put on a good show, Ray."

After a few short moments, the pair were in the car, and Connor was watching out of the passenger window.

"So what did you think of Ray?" Hank asked shortly after pulling on the road.

"I think she's nice," Connor replied, looking to Hank. "She's very pretty."

"You've got the hots for her?" Hank asked, looking to Connor for a quick second. "I thought Android's weren't supposed to have crushes on girls?"

"I don't have a crush on her," Connor responded quickly. "I just think she is enjoyable to look at. That is all."

"That's good," Hank says, nodding slightly. "Because even if you did want to have some sort of weird relationship, you wouldn't have a chance. She's out of your league. When she looks at you, I don't think she even sees an android, she sees a puppy. I bet you she'll end up marrying that guy, Red. It'll be Ray and Red. She'll be in love with a man who gives her an endless supply of the beer she loves."

When Hank said that she was out of Connor's league, he could have sworn he felt something stab at his chest from the inside, and going on about it made it feel worse. Connor looked down and ran the third diagnostic scan of the night, only for it to once again tell him nothing was wrong. He decided it was best to try and ignore it.

"I know it's a bit harsh, but it's just the truth," Hank says. "It's not like you care anyway, right?"

"Right," Connor confirmed as they pulled up to the police station.

"Here's where you get off for the night," Hank says as he parked the car.

"Thanks for the ride, lieutenant," Connor says, before exiting the car and heading into the station.

He sat at the desk where he sat earlier and closed his eyes.

He ran a much longer, much more thorough scan of his systems. While there was some evidence of software instability, he wasn't a deviant. Once again the scan told him nothing was wrong.

Connor didn't need a diagnostic scan to tell him whether or not things were okay. He knew that something was different, he could feel it deep within him.


End file.
